Producer-Director Eddie Schmidt Inks Overall Deal With Universal TV

By Denise Petski on Aug 20, 2018 11:00 am

Courtesy of Universal TV

Producer, director and documentarian Eddie Schmidt (In Search Of) has signed an overall deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television for both unscripted and scripted fare, respectively.

The Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker has produced six projects that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, including Netflix’s Chelsea Does, which he also directed, HBO’s Emmy-nominated Valentine Road, IFC’s This Film Is Not Yet Rated (which he co-wrote), HBO’s Oscar-nominated Twist of Faith, Morgan Neville’s Emmy-nominated music doc Troubadours for PBS and the prescient teenage tapestry Chain Camera.

On the TV side, Schmidt most recently served as executive producer/showrunner and episodic director of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, with chef David Chang, and the new In Search Of, starring Zachary Quinto for History. Previously, Schmidt was executive producer/showrunner and director of The Case of: Jonbenet Ramsey for CBS, executive producer/showrunner of Bravo’s Newlyweds: The First Year and co-executive producer of MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show. He also directed segments for Netflix’s Chelsea, the GE/Focus Forward short Good Bread and NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? among other credits.

“We are thrilled that a filmmaker of Eddie’s caliber is joining our studio family after seeing his impressive work firsthand on History’s In Search Of,” said Meredith Ahr, President, Universal Television Alternative Studio. “With his directorial eye and documentary storytelling instincts, he brings a fresh perspective and breadth to our studio’s development slate, and we can’t wait to collaborate with him on his next big ideas.”

“Since I was an 11-year-old-boy going door to door with a petition to save Harper Valley PTA from cancellation (note: 78 signatures), I’ve always felt a connection to NBCUniversal,” Schmidt said. “As a grown-up content maker, I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Meredith and her incredible team to explore a full range of innovative storytelling opportunities in unscripted and beyond. I’m never more delighted than when new ideas are cooking, and it’s wonderful to have a home for them.”